Students grade debates without using a curve

[Judi Lynn]

Students grade debates without using a curve

By Karla D. Shores
Education Writer
Posted October 17 2004

They stripped away the big words and bigger plans and shed light on the real stuff.

A group of high schoolers and college students who graded the three presidential debates for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel said they care about health care and the war on terrorism.

But this is what they saw: Bush threw too many tantrums and joked too much, which made him look weak, they said. Kerry drones on and on. He's smooth. But he whines and he's canned. And shame on both candidates for not talking much about immigration.

The students, who spent late nights in front of the television in a Sun-Sentinel conference room and at home, gave Bush a C+ over the past three weeks and Kerry, a B and two B-s, grading the candidates on categories such as persuasiveness, style and clarity.
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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pcyoungdebate17oct17,0,4817868.story?coll=sfla-news-palm